I strongly disagree that doing explosive volitional contract and relax bird dog exercises will prepare speed and power athletes and make them more athletic. Kettle bell swings with a boom goes the dynamite will make you able to be on the cover of Men’s Health with a ripped set of abs but will not increase punching power. For me to convert to this type of training I need to see research showing a strong transfer to a good program. Too many times we see an effort or experiment to replicate the qualities of sport in the weightroom when in reality specific actions are likely to be done on the track, field, court, or pool. Looking at all of the Sub 9.8 athletes none of them got there using the methods supported by gurus. I think Stu offers a great insight but his exercise prescriptions for handling loads are poor. Reading Relax and Win: Championship Performance again really makes me understand that repetition and rate is vital as kettle bell swings are .5 cycles per second vs 5 cycles per second. Bird dog exercises done with maximal tension are not organized in a way to help functional sport and other general exercises can be used to strengthen the core mechanically better. I have no comment on rehabilitation as my job is not PT Wannabe but as a track coach. Maybe I don’t understand the research enough or perhaps people can explain how it works so I can find ways to make it work but I don’t see it’s purpose in a total program. I think Stu’s role is to share what not to do and let the coaches find ways to get people better within his parameters.
